Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday announced a cash grant of Rs 25,000 to anyone providing information about illegal mining along with evidence. He also asked the Deputy Commissioners to keep a strict vigil on the mining sites so that illegal activity can be stopped and sand can be made available at the rate of Rs.5.50 per cubic foot. According to an official release, CM Channi has directed the Deputy Commissioners that if any person presents video or other evidence regarding violation of rules in this regard, then he should be given a reward of 25 thousand rupees.
In fact, presiding over a meeting, the Chief Minister directed the officials to ensure that sand from mining sites is made available free of cost to any gram panchayat that wants it. He said that no fee should be charged from trolleys carrying sand and only trucks should be charged at the rate of Rs 5.50 per cubic feet. Along with this, he also emphasized on increasing the number of mining sites and restarting the sites which were closed earlier.
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Significantly, the Congress-led state government is being repeatedly targeted by the Aam Aadmi Party on the issue of alleged illegal sand mining. The AAP had alleged that illegal sand mining has been found in Chamkaur Sahib, the constituency of CM Channi. At the same time, the Chief Minister denied these allegations. Arvind Kejriwal had on Tuesday claimed that illegal sand mining worth an estimated Rs 20,000 crore was taking place in the northern state.
